"It
is tiring to lose players-whether it be to Man Ciy or somewherr else-it
is the same", the Arsenal boss said. Arsenal had Man City Squad and
management before Man City.
It is not just the
procession of players who have gone there for better money and
trophy-winning prospects: Samir Nasri, Gael Clichy, Kolo Toure, Emmanuel
Adebayor (ingloriously) and now Bacary Sagna.
There is
even an Arsenal influence over the management at City in Brian Marwood
and Patrick Vieira. The old jibes about being a feeder club are still
raw and relevant.
‘Well, Sagna just left for City, so
you can’t say those days are over,’ says Kieran Gibbs when asked if the
days of City dominating Arsenal might be past. ‘But you would think from
the signings we have made...’
He doesn’t finish the
answer but it is put to him that players should believe they can achieve
their ambitions at Arsenal. ‘You would hope so,’ says Gibbs.
"We are less vulnerable now, that is for sure," Gunners boss Wenger said.
"In the last two years we bought Ozil and Sanchez - five years ago we would have lost Ozil and Sanchez.
Wenger
continued: "I don't think it's bullying - a transfer is an agreement
between three parties and they are in a position where they can say no.
"The players end up at the richest clubs. Man United did that for years - they had superior financial power and they still do."
The
richest teams are increasingly coming under pressure from UEFA's
Financial Fair Play regulations, which inhibit a club's ability to spend
more than they earn.
Wenger admits those regulations are starting
to influence clubs like Man City but also believes there are loopholes
to be exploited.
"It looks like they have some restrictions but
they have clever people who can think about how to get around them and
they do that very well," Wenger said.
"Time will tell. UEFA have to be cautious as well because of television financial power.
"If
you kick a club like Paris St Germain out tomorrow, the French
television companies will go to UEFA and ask for their money back.
"It's not as easy as it looked at the start."
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